KELLIHER, Minn. (AP) — Beltrami County deputies are trying to track down the descendants of James Art Wilson, the only deputy to die in the line of duty in the 116-year existence of the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

They’re hoping to provide Wilson a more fitting resting place than the simple, easily overlooked gravesite where he was buried.

Deputy Scott Wherley tells the Bemidji Pioneer (http://bit.ly/13es3wV ) the family might be able to contribute to a memorial, and deputies could also try to track down funding sources.

Wherley says he felt an “empty feeling” when he saw that Wilson’s grave is only marked with a simply footstone. He says a man who laid down his life while serving his community deserves to be formally memorialized.